Kolkata, Jan 5: West Bengal government is making elaborate arrangements for the annual Gangasagar Mela, which was today declared as ‘Clean and Green Gangasagar Mela’ this year.
“UNICEF and World Bank have extended their support for making this year’s mela a clean and green one. For that, we are constructing 12,000 new toilets along the entire stretch from Outram Ghat in Kolkata to the fair grounds, marked in bright yellow for easy identification. 2,000 of these toilets will be mobile ones and the rest, permanent,” P B Selim, District Magistrate, South 24 Parganas told reporters.
The DM said the state government was laying ample stress on a “foolproof security cover” for the mela.
“We are leaving no stones unturned for the security of the fair. Alongside the state police, the Navy, Coast Guard and the BSF would be patrolling the entire riverine stretch as well as the fair grounds, including aerial surveillance.
This year the authorities are installing 140 CCTV cameras for surveillance and a strict vigil will be kept all along the way from Kolkata.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also chaired a meeting with all departments and stakeholders at the state secretariat on the Gangasagar Mela on Monday.
State Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee said they were hoping more pilgrims would come from different parts of the country as there was no Kumbh Mela this year.
The state government has already abolished the pilgrim tax and would provide free life insurance of Rs 5 lakh to anyone who visits the pilgrimage site.
When asked about increased security this time in wake of Pathankot terror attack, Mukherjee said “There will be more security, lighting, police and volunteers. We will also have critical care unit equipped ambulances.”
South 24 Parganas district Superintendent of Police Sunil Chowdhury also said more than 10,000 police personnel would be pressed on duty for the annual fair.
“We are expecting more than ten lakh people to congregate at Gangasagar this year. Vessels will operate in between Lot No. 8 and Kochuberia and 100 wooden motor launches will ferry pilgrims in between Namkhana and Chemaguri. The expenditure of the fair has also been pegged at Rs 60.30 crore as against Rs 52 crore last year,” Selim added.
The Chief Minister has also inaugurated a mobile app on the Gangasagar fair this time.
